Winter Blossoms (Fanfic)

[luminious]

AN: This fanfiction was for FanFiction.net user fanofthisfiction's 2021 "Show Me the Love" Challenge that took place back in late January of this year. The theme was flowers, and as one of my 2094761237839104093243 WIP fanfics was of a Bleach fanfic ironically named "Winter Blossoms" due to me combining half of the meanings each of Hinamori and Hitsugaya's first names, I decided that I would finish this fanfic up in time for the challenge. I really recommend joining one of fanofthisfiction's future "Show Me the Love" Challenges as they're very fun to both create and read what other people contributed. I personally liked writing teen!Nemuri and teen!Ichika as I find them adorable (if there wasn't a deadline to this challenge I would of added a teen!Kamui too lol), and Nemuri in particular gets so little content done with her compared to the content I've seen made for Ichika and Kamui. Besides that, fanart with adult!Hinamori with long hair down and adult!Toshiro no longer qualifying as a shrimp has always been some of my favorite types of art to see in the Bleach fandom, so being able to write it is even sweeter.

I hope that you all are able to enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it for fanofthisfiction's challenge, and for any HitsuHina fans still on this site that sees this fic, I am happy to contribute to the Hitsuhina content on dreamwidth.
 

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TITLE: Winter Blossoms
FANDOM: Bleach
GENRE: Romance, Humor
RATING: T
CHARACTERS: Main Characters= Momo Hinamori & Toshiro Hitsugaya, Side Characters= Shinji Hirako, Mayuri Kurostuchi, and Nemuri Hachigo, Background= Izuru Kira. A little bit of Rangiku Matsumoto and Ichika Abarai at the end.
PAIRING: HitsuHina, a little bit of GinRan if you squint.
WARNING: None (other than a few mentions of blood and animal abuse around the Mayuri and Nemuri segment I guess?) except spoilers for the Bleach manga post-Fullbringer arc as well as the Bleach light novels, so for anyone who hasn't finished the series/read the novels and wants to, be warned that certain parts of this manga talks about events either in the manga or in the novels
DISCLAMER: I don't own Bleach, nor am I or will I ever profit from this work.

FF.net link Tumblr link
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i.

THE RECTANGULAR WINDOWS KNOWN FOR HAVING SUN-KISSED TINTS in the Gotei 13 are now frosted pure white, and little detailed, intricate snowflakes can either be seen in the blocks of ice stuck to the golden glasses or falling slowly—but surely—outside unto the linear balconies; the faint sound of icicles breaking apart from roofs and shattering unto the ground can also be heard.

Since the start of the current winter season, these are the things Hinamori notices in early mornings at the barracks of Gotei 13, whether when she is in her own squad's quarters or of the quarters of the other squads.

It is not just visual remarks either—on days where she unravels herself from her futon and the four puffy extra covers that rest upon it, she instantly feels chills and goosebumps if she isn't wearing extra garments under her sleepwear as well.

Such as now.

Ah, the lieutenant thinks to herself as she removes her small hands from the window-frames of her bedroom's door, her left handprint slowly but surely disappearing from the glass, perhaps I should request for a thicker jinbei?

The wintry period of current Seireitei reminds the young woman of the most frigid days she has spent with a gigai in the living world, chattering by the teeth every few seconds and having the hands of the artificial body get so freezing and ached that they've felt like shards of ice when she lays her fingers unto the faux skin above her gigai's mouth as she would wipe off white sleet from her forehead.

While for the last three winters, snow was rare and the sun's brightness was far more memorable and effective than any cold atmosphere or frigid sensation, for the current winter, snow is everywhere and the sun is hard to see with all the tumbling icicles from above.

The cold weather Momo can do without, but the snowflakes—each one with its own curve and edge and size and twirl—are all to her beautiful particles with a wonderful charm to them.

As she looks outside her window in fact there is one snowflake, with its tips like those of a lion's teeth and the middle emblems like that of a lion's mane, that captivates her so and reminds her of a certain ice-themed childhood friend, and she giggles—

She can imagine him turning red if she compared him to a pretty snowflake as well, which makes her laugh even louder.

Once that specific snowflake is out of her sight, as the upcoming other ones do not pique her interest, the brunette turns around, walks to her mirror-dresser, and sits down softly on the small cushion chair in front of it.

Taking her hair out of a side bun that was held with a red claw-clamp, Momo shakes her head left and right and lets her tresses fall down into a straight path. She picks up a bristle hairbrush from her dresser and flats down any stray strands of black locks, humming the whole time.

When she feels her hair sufficiently brushed enough, she gathers a few strands in the middle, wraps it up into an upwards small bun, and holds it with a red butterfly hair-comb, which was a birthday gift from a few years ago that she very much cherished.

Hinamori brushes the rest of the hair not in the bun down some more and then takes a good, long look at herself in the mirror.

Her once shoulder-length now mid-back length hair was something she decades ago was not much proud of, and she always thought of her black tresses to be plain and mediocre compared to the hair-styles and hair-colors of those of Rangiku and Mashiro, and she even had issues with the color of her eyes, but these days, she takes great pride in her obsidian locks and walnut orbs.

Her hair and eyes may not be vibrantly colored or designed, but it is nevertheless one of beauty and flair, and that is enough for her.

"Wait, with the weather out today, wouldn't the white butterfly hair comb be more appropriate?"

...Of course, a few add-ons to her appearance wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

.✦.

✦ † ✦

.✦.

Scratching a bit at the small bundle of hair held by her white butterfly hair comb, Momo walks side-by-side with Shinji, him sighing and complaining and her giving small laughs but overall worrying responses to the anger of the blonde male. The evening night-sky is filled with tiny, bright stars, and the evening air is even chillier than the air from this morning.

"I can't believe 'dat I can't use you to help me finish my work anymore for da' next two weeks!"

Hinamori gives out an awkward laugh. "Hirako-taichou, perhaps you and Yadomaru-taichou shouldn't have spent ten minutes making fun of Ise-fukutaichou and her doing most of Captain Commander Kyoraku's paperwork..."

"Well, I guess so," the bang-haired captain begrudgingly admits, "but she didn't have da' go make me do a day of her work too! She even stepped on my poor hair! I finally was able da' to grow it back da' being lower-back length 'gain, too…"

Hinamori sighs as Hirako mockingly pats at the end of his hair as if it's a hurt little pet.

It's been about 80 years since she has been under the command of Shinji Hirako, and although he steps up to the plate in crucial moments and has successfully erased the damage towards the 5th Squad done by Aizen, he still has his trademark love of pushing people's buttons and teasing them till they're red in the face—Sarugaki's enraged shouts and curses from Hirako's mobile device during his phone calls with the former 12th Squad lieutenant becoming more and more extreme arguably could mean his habit has only gotten worse—and especially loves to target it at Kensei and Nanao.

While the former would usually attempt to threaten Shinji to back off only to be in vain 75% of the time due to Shinji's one-upping nature, much to the silver-haired male's chagrin and the blonde-haired male's amusement (as well as the amusement of Mashiro), the latter chooses to deal with his hectoring by ordering him to lose small privileges.

The last time Shinji had pushed Nanao too far, she ordered him to alphabetically order some new books she ordered (which he had laughed at until she told him that there were 800 books and that he was not allowed to use anyone or anything to make the organizing go faster).

This time, not only is Shinji not allowed to have Momo do his work-to-do-at-the-last-minute for two weeks but he has to go pour Nanao tea tomorrow.

The previous time Nanao ordered a punishment, Shunsui had stopped it, but this time, Shunsui said that the other male was on his own, most likely due to the fact that Shinji had made a few jokes at him as well.

Hirako scratches at the back of his head, mumbling dejectedly, "How mean, 'dat Lisa 2.0 is..."

"Ah, speaking of that, I think you calling Ise-fukutaichou 'Lisa 2.0' also contributed to her anger as well," Hinamori responds as she pats Hirako's back to comfort him.

Turning a corner, the two shinigami arrive at the west section of the second floor owned by the 5th Squad Barrack, where the 5th Squad Captain's room was.

After walking to the entrance of his quarters, opening the door, and standing halfway inside, Shinji turns around and looks back at Momo.

"'Ay, Hinamoooori?"

"Eh?" the lieutenant lets out as her eyebrows raise in bewilderment before it clicks. For Hirako to draw out her name in such a fashion akin to Rangiku, there is only one intention he has, and it was an intention that Hinamori was not going to be happy with.

"I know I ain't supposed ta' get any help from ya' or anyone else"—Shinji looks left and right—"but I ain't only got documents da' do when it comes da' work I haven't done. I gotta' get sum' hollow experiment containers from Mayuri, on behave of Urahara. Oh, and Urahara also wanted me to stea—I mean, borrow a book from the 3rd Squad Barracks. It's called Ika Rosu Ketsugo or some shit."

"Hirako-taichou, Ise-fukutaichou said you have to do everything by your—"

"Thanks!" Hirako responds quickly before he closes his door.

"...self…"

Hinamori makes a sound of displeasure. While it's nowhere near the first time something like this happened, her captain usually only gets this far behind in his work every couple of months. Lately. however, it seems that it's every two or three weeks that he's relying on her to finish his work one or two days before it's due.

At this point, Hinamori wasn't sure if the written work and structure of the 5th Squad Barracks was in the name of the 5th Squad Captain or the 5th Squad Lieutenant.

"Oh, Hinamori, wait!"

Shinji opens the door again, his hand raised up and a smile on his face.

"What I just asked ya' was a Captain's Order, okay? So ya' can't back down, Momo! Ya' gotta' make sure ya' least get da' things from Mayuri and the 3rd Squad Barracks ta' me by tomorrow mornin', so try ta' get it now."

The 5th Squad Leader closes his door shut again and, once more, Hinamori makes an unhappy sound, her body cold due to the way Hirako has roughly and rapidly close his door twice.

"Almost a century later and he still almost only makes me listen to captain orders when it's for the most insignificant things…"

.✦.

✦ † ✦

.✦.

Metal and coins of the human world. That is the type of smell that Momo always feels like she smells when she is in the same room as Mayuri and Nemuri if the father-and-daughter duo is in the middle of their more infamous methods and ways of scientific research.

"So, the experiments, Hachigo-san and Kurostuchi-taichou, are of ram and bison like hollows, am I correct?"

Mayuri scoffs. "I do not know why you would ask, lieutenant—you usually just come, grab what you need, and go—but, yes, they are exactly what that annoying captain of yours needed. Or, should I say, what the other annoying blond asked him to get from me. I see not why either of them think I would be stupid enough to believe your captain would ever ask me for such sophisticated things."

Momo looks left and right as Nemuri grabs documents and half-filled containers from Mayuri and places them in multiple wheeled carts, simply nodding to the male's response to her question. Oddly enough, the 12th Squad Captain speaks to Hinamori now in a way that, for him, could be considered with somewhat of decency compared to how she has seen him speak to Abarai-san or Kuna-san.

She usually does not inquire Kurostuchi on details—he usually would give her documents that explained everything about his procedures and the length to which they took—but whatever experiments that Urahara requested from Kurostuchi are interesting, half of them still moving in containers filled with strange gray and blue liquid and others glowing in beautiful yet eerie fashion. Some even have horns that are cracking and disintegrated at the same time they are reforming themselves despite being no longer connected to anybody or head.

"How long did it take you, Kurostuchi-taichou?"

"Hmph, did that Urahara or captain of yours ask you to peeve into my work? There will be consequences if I find out you had the audacity to attempt disturbing my work for your or anyone else's own purpos—"

"WE SPENT HOURS ON IT!" screams Nemuri. Mayuri scowls before he holds at one of his curved golden ram horns, which reminds Momo of the horns in the tubes and sealed shut bottles that the male has gathered up for her to bring back to her captain.

"Why do you insist on yelling so much?! I swear, Nemuri, I must've dropped some wretched chemical in your components when I created you."

"Sorry, Master Mayuri!"

Kurostuchi facepalms at the adolescent's more controlled but still loud reply, and it makes Hinamori give out a laugh—not loud enough for either the scientist or his daughter to notice—at the scene, something that is surprised at.

A few decades ago, Hinamori would have been shaking in her shoes and darting her eyes at all the organ-filled jars that casually hung around in shelves so close to the entrance of the 12th Barracks Laboratory and at the sight of Hollow fur and Hollow blood splashed on both the pale hands of Kurostuchi and the flowy sleeves of Hachigo-san's uniform. The raw stench from corpses that she can see from a far distance used to make her throw up quite easily decades ago, as well.

Over time, however, she somehow got used to it. Seeing body parts of both the dead the living mercilessly dissected and "fixed" eventually became something she saw done for the sake of science, and whenever she caught a whiff of a decaying species and felt bile about to rise up from her stomach, she either calmed down by remembering that she was no stranger to death and blood in front of her eyes or swallowed the bile down as if it was simply swallowing down soup.

It helps that Nemuri was an energetic and usually upbeat teenager despite being the 8th Nemu of a mad scientist—a direct difference from the reserved and downer nature that Momo remembers the 7th Nemu having—and that despite Mayuri still being a man with a disturbing, far beyond perverse perspective and usage of science, he had become over the past decades, at least towards Momo, slightly less of a cruel being.

Perhaps her fear and anxiety stopped because she isn't in the original 12th Barracks as well—she's in an underground section of the West 55th Block that Kurostuchi managed to spend 2 decades using in secret, or at least what Kurostuchi thought was in secret until Captain Commander Kyoraku informed Kurostuchi that although he knew that he would always get a little dirty in his experiments he needed to be sure to not get his works of science in the other 50s blocks in the Western area of the Gotei 13.

"Ah, Hinamori-oneesama! Where did you get that?"

Kurostuchi scowls when he hears the teenager address Hinamori as an "oneesama", but Hinamori pays that no mind (as much as she can that is) as she asks the other female, "What do you mean?"

"Your hair ornament! It's so beautiful."

Hinamori lifts up her left hand and feels at the wings of her hair comb, and it is then that she realizes this is the first time she's worn this comb around the presence of either Kurostuchi or Hachigo. The few other times that she has worn this clip-on, it was when she was out with specific people for specific events—after all, this was a special gift.

"Ah, thank you—"

"Who got it for you?"

"Toshi—I mean, Hitsugaya-san got me it," Hinamori responds quicker than she means to. She didn't expect to almost slip and call him by his first name over his surname while talking to someone else.

When Nemuri asks her "When did he give it to you?" and Momo cups her own left cheek, she doesn't expect memories of receiving the gift to occur either.

She received it five years ago, for her birthday. Matsumoto had arranged a birthday party at the 10th Squad Barracks, specifically at Hitsugaya's office which Hinamori was sure that if it had been anyone else's birthday, Hitsugaya would've kicked Matsumoto out of his office for the day as soon as she finished asking him such a thing.

While everyone got her wonderful gifts—from the beautiful flamingo pink (albeit short and form-fitting) furisode that Rangiku got her to the pearl bracelets that Renji stated he bought during a mission in the living world—her favorite one by far was Hitsugaya's.

A hair comb with a large butterfly rhinestone brooch in the middle, the brooch made out of pure diamonds. The sides of the hair comb had diamonds and pearls, and the teeth of the white comb were slightly wavy in shape.

"Rangiku helped me choose this one for you," Hitsugaya had admitted to Hinamori as he placed it in her hand, his face with a smile (which turn into a scowl at Rangiku two minutes later when she teased him for not putting the ornament in Hinamori's hair himself) directed right at her, "apparently she had seen you looking at hair comb accessories when you went to the living world with her a few weeks ago."

The gift had been so magnificent to look at that Momo had immediately hugged Toshiro and gave him dozens of thank yous, which he returned, and which then caused Rangiku to snap a picture of their embracing and put it on the next magazine for the Shinigami Women's Association, much to Momo's embarrassment and Toshiro's anger.

Since that day, she has only worn the ornament for special occasions—which, now that she thinks about it...why did she wear it today, just because of the weather outside? She has plenty of wintry hair combs that she could've put on, she's sure of it.

To make it worse, she's in a lab that smells as gory as it looks. She doesn't want the smell to either get on the ornament or end up with blood splatter staining any of the jewelry on the expensive accessory.

"Could you ask Hitsugaya-taichou to get me one?"

Nemuri's question snaps Momo out of her thoughts and memories. Hinamori looks at the girl and responds, "Eh?"

"I said, could you ask Hitsugaya-taichou to get me one?" Nemuri repeats, grabbing a square container full of multicolored hearts that are in the shape of crescents and circles.

Kurotsuchi gives Hinamori an instant 'You better not' glare.

"Sorry, Hachigo-san," Hinamori tells the younger female as she takes another peek at the death stare from the girl's father, "but this was for a special occasion. I do not believe that Hitsugaya-taichou would get you this."

Nemuri blinks once before she nods at Momo. "Oh! So it's a boyfriend to girlfriend gift, right? I remember hearing that phrase from Matsumoto-oneesama about you and Hitsugaya-taichou before. Will you give him a girlfriend to boyfriend gift for Valentine's Day?"

Hinamori's cheeks turn red.

"Well...it was actually a gift for my—"

"Do you think Hitsugaya-taichou will give you another gift like your hair comb on White Day? Oh! If he does and there are multiple hair combs, do you think I could get one of them? Please? Or will the gift be too boyfriend-girlfriend oriented for me to wear?"

Hinamori is sure that her face is as red as the blood on Nemuri's safety goggles. "Uh, the thing is, we are not actually—"

"How many gifts have you guys given to each-other so far? The next meeting at the Shinigami Women's Association, can you bring them and show them to us?"

"I-I-I, um, well—"

"You are here to obtain specimens for your insufferable captain and that equally insufferable other man, not to talk about insignificant and unnecessary romance. Do not feed into any of the nonsense that Nemuri is asking you for. Remind me Nemuri, by the way, to stop letting you hang out with that clueless blonde of the 10th Squad…"

Kurotsuchi puts a rectangular container full of yellow and purple hollow brain matter into the last empty wheeled cart. "There. That is all he needed. Now get out before my own brain melts from the ridiculousness my daughter is spewing out because of your presence."

"Ah, right...sorry, Kurotsuchi-taichou, and have a good evening, Kurostuchi-taichou and Hachigo-san," the 5th Squad Lieutenant quietly says with a bow as she gets the four wheeled-carts and connects them together by their magnetic handles.

Momo softly sighs in relief; she isn't sure she'd be able to handle anymore questioning about Toshiro and herself from Nemuri. Nemuri for sure is nowhere similar in personality to Nemu Kurostuchi, only sharing the similar effect of increasing the ire of Kurostuchi albeit in different ways with different results.

(Momo hasn't stumbled and stuttered like this in years. What was up with her this evening?)

Hinamori exits out of the room—the handles for the wheeled carts in her hands—blushing and apologizing as Hachigo keeps asking her father "Can you get me one instead?" and Kurotsuchi facepalms and bangs his head at a desk in response.

---

ii.

"Almost…!"

Standing on her tippy-toes, Hinamori attempts to pick up a copy of Ika Rosu Ketsugo from one of the tall bookcases in the 3rd Squad's headquarters. The red and golden-covered book is on the second-highest shelf, and when she stands on her tippy-toes or jumps, the edge of her fingers almost, just almost, are able to grasp at the novel.

Alas, however, she cannot. For the past three minutes, she has tried to at least push it a bit closer so she could snatch it, but it has only been in vain.

She had brought the wheeled-carts filled with experiment-having tubes and containers to Shinji before she took a shower and put on a spare uniform to get rid of the smell of blood and decay that radiated from her (thankfully her hair ornament did not get either the smell or literal blood itself on it), but if she had known that she would struggle this far to get the book, she'd bring at least two of the carts with her so she could stand on.

She also would've asked Kira to come to help her find the book, but after he had let her in, he said something about that he would be leaving quickly as Otoribashi and he had to meet with the 8th and 11th squad members for a gathering between the three divisions for a mission, and that he would leave the key in his office for her to lock up the library room before she left.

Now, she will have to either get a ladder or use her Shinigami abilities to get the book. While some would find no issue with that, to Hinamori, either option is a reminder that she's only grown half an inch taller in the last couple of decades, from 4'11 and ½ to only 5'0.

Of course, she also did not want to spend any longer jumping up and down foolishly like a dog attempting to grab a treat.

Just as she turns to go get the nearby ladder, however, the book is taken off the shelf by long, fair-skinned hands, and a voice asks, "Hinamori? What are you doing here?"

The brunette in question immediately flushes, memories of her earlier conversation with the 12th Squad Lieutenant coming right back into her.

The person that took the book Momo was failing to obtain is Toshiro, all in his white hair, turquoise-eyes glory, his face one of bewilderment.

"I saw you trying to reach for this book a few moments ago"—the captain hands out Ika Rosu Ketsugo to her—"though it doesn't look like a book that you'd look at or need to get. Tell me...did Hirako make you do some of his last-minute captain work again?"

Momo gives out a tiny laugh. "Well, no, just two things for someone outside of the Gotei 13…"

"I'd expect nothing less from him, even though Ise told him not to...by the way, Hinamori, why didn't you just use a ladder?"

"I was about to right before you came, Shiro-chan," Momo responds as she holds Ika Rosu Ketsugo behind her back. Toshiro immediately frowns, though it is a frown of light-heartedness.

"Shiro-chan? After all these years, you still call me by that nickname as if I'm a little kid, even though…"

Hitsugaya walks forwards until he's standing right in front of Hinamori, and he waves his hand above her head, a smirk on his face.

"..I'm a foot taller than you now, bedwetter Momo."

Momo fumbles with her lips, and immediately counters out, "Well I'm 5 foot now, so you're actually only eleven inches taller than me!"

Ever since his growth spurt a few decades ago, the 10th Squad Captain has greatly made sure to tease her for her lack of development in terms of height. It did not help that Matsumoto also would playfully chime in from time to time.

Gone are the days where Momo would get something high on a shelf or table and hand it to Toshiro as she'd ruffle up his hair. Now, he can easily pick something close to the ceiling or upper section of a wall for her and laugh at the fact that she can't even reach 5"2 in height.

"Well, I suppose you're right about that. What I find interesting though is that you didn't deny you're still a bedwetter," he says with a grin as he pats her softly on the shoulder.

How cheeky!

"Hmph! To think that despite how you're famed as such an elegant leader in the making," Hinamori playfully let out in between giggles, "and that you're every lady's dream. Little did they know that behind the scenes, you have such a devious side!"

Toshiro gives Momo a small smile which she returns. It is moments like these that make her take pride in the fact that she is one of the few people that the boy, who people that glance at him from afar say is so similar to Byakuya, exposes the more euphoric and flawed parts of his personality too.

"Well, I have to go now, Shiro-chan. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Toshiro places his arm in front of her as she tries to walk around him and out of the room. She tries to go around it, but he moves along with her, blocking any way she can leave.

"Huh? What are you doing, Shir—I mean, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Come with me."

Momo cocks her head. "...What?"

"Just...come with me to the rooftop of the 10th Squad for a second. I have something to show you."

Before she can ask him anything else, he swiftly vanishes—Momo sighs, something she notices she has been doing all day.

Shunpo was always something that, despite Momo's handling of it, Toshiro has always been able to one-up her in, and in recent years, he has gained a tendency to tell her stuff and shunpo away, something that the black-haired woman remembers Rangiku saying that Gin used to do it to her during Gin and Rangiku's days in the academy.

I wonder if Matsumoto-san used to have to pitifully attempt to catch up to Ichimaru during shunpo transportations like I do with Shiro-chan, Momo thinks to herself before she too vanishes with the usage of shunpo.

.✦.

✦ † ✦

.✦.

When Momo's sandal-clad feet first make contact with a section of the 10th Squad Barracks' roof, it doesn't surprise her that Toshiro is sitting down and waiting for her, his left hand patting the open space to his left. Most of the other areas of the roof are packed with snow.

He is looking up at the night sky, and when he sees her arrive, he only slightly glances at her before he returns his focus to the stars above. Tonight, there seems to be more than usual.

"Hitsugaya, why are we on the rooftop?" Hinamori asks as she walks over to the other shinigami. She sits down next to him slowly, no book in her hands as she had given it to Hirako on her way to meet up with Toshiro.

The 10th Squad Captain continues to look up at the night sky, only telling the 5th Squad Lieutenant, "I remember a moment not so different from this about a century ago."

"About a century ago? What do you mean?"

"I'm referring to when Matsumoto, you, me, and that disgraceful former captain of yours one day were on the roof of the 10th Squad Training Grounds," Toshiro clarifies. He lets out a short breath as he holds onto his trademark turquoise scarf.

Ah, that moment of their lives. Hinamori remembers. There were fireworks that night that covered a full moon, but now, the sky only has luminous stars that twinkle and shine bright—the moon now is in the shape of a thin crescent stead a full circle.

That night years ago, there was the laughter of Rangiku—loud as usual but with a strange hint of sorrow, and Momo could've sworn she heard the other woman whisper "Gin"—and the curious questions from Momo's former captain as Toshiro spluttered out half-serious insults towards Rangiku for teasing at the fact that he wanted Momo to call him Captain Hitsugaya instead of Hitsugaya-kun.

Tonight, however, the only sounds were from the laughter of the no doubt intoxicated men of the 11th Squad a few blocks down working together with the equally drunk members of the 8th Squad to fluster and playfully harass the members of the 3rd Squad.

It was more discord nowadays, and yet, it was the type of mischief and disruption that was acceptable and a sign of better days, where Aizen's trickery and the issues with the Soul King were far behind.

"Do you miss those days?" Hitsugaya asks her. Momo shakes her head, even though she knows he's still looking at the stars.

"No. Those were the days when I was naive and fell under the deception of Aizen. Had these days been like those days, I would not have changed as a person, nor would Gotei 13 be able to rid itself of its snakes and hidden sinister plots."

"...I agree," Toshiro responds, and it is then that he looks at Momo for the first time since she's arrived at the roof.

He gazes at something at the top of her head and scoots closer. Momo is indifferent to his action until she feels him lift up her chin, stare directly at her eyes, and then watch him glance above her head again.

Holding back a flush, she asks him, "What's the matter, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"You're wearing the hair comb I got you a few years ago—I'm surprised. I remember you telling me you would only wear it for special occasions," Hitsugaya tells her before he unclips it from her hair, undoing the small bun it held in the process.

"Well, with how the weather was outside, I thought it would be very appropriate. I try not to wear the hair comb too much because of how flawless its design is, though. A lifestyle like ours is too dangerous to carelessly wear it in."

Hitsugaya gives her a warm smile.

"You look pretty in it," he tells her casually, and then with a blush he continues, "I-I-I mean, the hair comb looks nice on you."

Hinamori smiles. "Why are you blushing, Shiro-chan? It was just a simple fumble, not that I mind you calling me pretty."

He just blushes more and turns his face to the other side, quiet. It makes the lieutenant laugh, reminding her of the days where it was him blushing and a loss for words and her sometimes purposely, somethings unintentionally making his whole face red with embarrassment.

Taller and wiser, he may be, but he will always deep inside be Shiro-chan, whose cheeks turn scarlet the second he's put off his game, and weakness will always be exploited by Hinamori—intentionally or not.

As she is about to tease him more, the male thrusts a red small bag tied with a green ribbon at her.

"A gift?"

"A...late Christmas gift," the male responds as he looks back at her, "to make up for the fact that I couldn't get you anything for Christmas a few weeks ago."

Hinamori cups the cotton fabric of the bag, and tells the other shinigami, "Hitsugaya, I appreciate it very much, but I told you! I understand that due to paperwork and missions, you were unable to get me anything in time for the holidays."

"No excuse. You got me this coat for Christmas despite you having to go on multiple missions, so I should've been able to get you this sooner. Now open it!"

"Okay, okay, I will, Shiro-chan," she says as she unties the ribbon keeping the bag shut, chuckling at his grumble for her to start addressing him properly.

What she sees has her gasp.

Not only is inside two golden hairpins covered with peach blossoms but behind it, a thick hair golden comb with peach blossoms is there in all its beauty. Both the hairpin and the hair comb have tiny little branches filled with diamonds and rose quartz.

"This is wonderful! Oh, thank you so much, Toshiro!" Momo says as she hugs said male, so tightly that she almost loses her grip on the jewelry.

"No problem, Hina—Momo. I had found it from a catalog I saw Rangiku reading from, and I thought it would be perfect for you, so when she wasn't looking, I got the number to order it."

"Is it because my name means peach?"

"No, because I find you to be as beautiful as every intricate on those accessories," he corrects her, looking to the side once more in what Hinamori easily detects as a way to hide his embarrassment.

Hinamori laughs once more. Hitsugaya, deep inside despite his tallness so, so easily flustered.

"Can I put it on you, Hinamori?"

Hinamori nods. "Yes, you may."

Sitting still, Hinamori is all smiles the whole time Hitsugaya grabs her hair and forms it into a high bun that he makes stay with the two hairpins he gifted her on either side of the bun, and then he finishes it by sticking the teeth of the hair comb fight in the middle of her hairdo.

Hinamori grabs her white butterfly hair comb from Hitsugaya's side and looks at her reflection through a reflection she sees on one of the diamonds. The flowers of all three accessories look like a floral crown upon her head.

"...I want you to close your eyes."

"Eh? What for, Hitsugaya?"

"You'll see. Just do it."

"Do you have another gift for me? Is it a necklace this time?"

"Hinamori, just do it. That's a captain's order."

"Alright," she says as she finally does what he asks. For a second, he sounded like her actual captain…

Momo expects Toshiro to wrap a necklace around her neck, or perhaps a coat.

What she doesn't expect is for him to kiss her.

Instantly, her eyes bulge in shock and stare directly at Hitsugaya's blue eyes that shine with nothing else but affection and adoration. Very quickly, however, she slowly eases into the kiss and shuts her eyelids again. She grips Hitsugaya's long scarf lightly, and when they break apart moments later, they're both as red as tomatoes and looking to the side embarrassed.

"I did not think you were going to do that, Toshiro-kun," the black-haired shinigami says as she continues to twindle her fingers with his wool scarf.

In response, the captain flushes. "Me neither. I was just going to give you a peck and quickly explain why, but as you can see…"

In the edge of her eyes, Momo can see Toshiro looking at her expectantly, waiting most likely for her to either give her approval or disapproval of his rather bold actions, obviously hoping that her reply to him will be of the former outcome.

Naturally, her response is one that proves her approval of his actions, as Toshiro kissing her enlighted something in her that she wants to experience herself.

"I want you to kiss me again, Shiro-chan."

Hinamori is surprised at how boldly those words come out of her mouth and is even more surprised that rather than letting Hitsugaya kiss her again, she instead leads the kiss, quickly sliding her tongue with his as she holds unto him so tightly that she accidentally pushes him down and brings herself down with him.

Hitsugaya smells like snow and fresh grass, and Hinamori likes this. She likes it as much as she likes his pure white hair, his tanned skin, his determination and leadership, his wintry like appearance, his dedication to stopping issues and being there for her, his desire to see her in the most captivating of hair accessories and fabrics, his remembrance of the time they have spent together even though she is still just a lieutenant and he is a captain, the fact that he never treated her like she was beneath him just because he managed to graduate from the academy early, how much she has matured because of his influence on her lif—

Click!

Hitsugaya immediately pushes away from Hinamori, looks at the direction the prompt sound transpired and growls.

"Matsumoto!"

Said strawberry-blonde woman is standing a couple of feet below them, a camera in her hand, laughing as Ichika, who is also snickering, writes down something that no doubt will be in the next issue printed out by the Shinigami Women's Association.

"Sorry Taichou"—Rangiku shoves her camera in Ichika's arms and whispers something to the red-haired teenager that makes the younger female shunpo away—"the scene was just too cute to not take a pic' of. Don't worry though—both of you will get 25% each of whatever profits we get when we make copies of this pic to sell around!"

In an instant, Hitsugaya gets up and looks at Hinamori. "I have more to tell you, but I have to go deal with Rangiku...stay here and wait for me so I can formally say all I want to you, alright, bedwetter Momo?"

"Alright, Shiro-chan," Momo responds. Toshiro turns back to Rangiku, and pulls out his sword, an evil smile on his face. Rangiku, however, has spent decades under the white-haired male, and simply just laughs it off and shunpos away, which in turn makes Toshiro shunpo right after her.

A few moments later, Hinamori pulls out one of the hairpins that Hitsugaya had placed in her hair. With her left index and middle finger, she rubs at and softly pokes at each individual spectacle in the jewels and curved edge of the peach blossoms that surrounds them.

When Hitsugaya comes back, she does not know if they will have a conversation about an immediate relationship or if they're going to be taking it slow. She does not know if this will be the situation that in a possible future she'll be telling their grandchildren or if it is a story she'll keep to heart, but what she does not is that what happened right here and right now will be a magnificent change to the story between them, and that is okay.

In fact, she wouldn't want it any other way.

Putting the hairpin back in place, Hinamori looks up at the sky above, where stars still shine bright and the crescent moon above is in plain sight, and as snow starts to fall, she catches the sight of a snowflake that's inner design reminds her of the eyes of a lion, and a sensation of pure euphoria rushes through her.

[FIN.]

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